Czech lower house of parliament approves association agreement with Ukraine

Members of the Czech lower house of parliament approved an EU association agreement with Ukraine after several hours of rowdy debate on Thursday night. The final vote was 107 in favour with 29 against. Most of those opposed to the agreement came from the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia. Social Democrat members of parliament though also criticized the stance of Ukrainian nationalists and the continuing influence of oligarchs in Ukraine. The Czech Republic is one of the last four EU states to ratify the agreement. The upper house of parliament, the Senate, did so already in November last year. The Czech head of state still has to give his approval to the agreement.